Intelligent roaming system with over the air programming

• US 6,397,064 B1
• Filed: 05/09/2000
• Issued: 05/28/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/06/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: SBC Technology Resources, Inc. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: SBC Technology Resources, Inc. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Bridges, Jesse Bradley, Coursey, Cameron Kelly, Wuthnow, Mark Steven
• Primary Examiner(s): Bost, Dwayne
• Assistant Examiner(s): Persino, Raymond B.
• Application Number:
  US09/567,279
• Time in Patent Office: 749 Days
• Field of Search: 455/420,421,432,434,525,62,440,115,437,414,433,451,419,456 379/114,115
• US Class Current: 455/432.3
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/32 Involving wireless systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/18 Selecting a network or a communication service
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/183 Processing at user equipment or user record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/205 Transfer to or from user equipment or user record carrier

Abstract

An apparatus for selecting a preferred wireless carrier from a plurality of wireless carriers for use by a mobile station when the mobile station is roaming outside of a home market area is provided. The apparatus comprises a database, a generator, and a data providing device. The database stores preferred wireless carrier identities for a plurality of market areas based upon predetermined classes of service, predetermined national accounts, and predetermined home market areas. The generator generates a list of the preferred wireless carrier identities based upon a selected class of service, a selected national account, a selected home market area of the mobile station. The data-providing device transmits the generated list to each mobile station designated with the selected class of service, selected national account and selected home market area. The list of preferred wireless carriers may be based upon the roaming wireless carriers'"'"' airtime rates and services provided for each of the plurality of market areas. The list may also be based upon a preferred or required air interface technology. The generator may update the list of preferred wireless carriers when one of the plurality of wireless carriers changes a communication characteristic (such as roaming airtime rates the wireless carrier charges for a market area, and services the wireless carrier offers to a market area). The data-providing device provides the updated list of preferred wireless carrier identities to each mobile station previously provided with the list the generator updated.

Claims

1. An apparatus for providing preferred wireless carrier information for use by a mobile station when the mobile station is roaming outside of a home market area of the mobile station, the apparatus comprising:

a database that identifies preferred wireless carriers for a plurality of market areas based upon a predetermined national account assigned to the mobile station;

a generator that generates a list of preferred wireless carrier identities from the database based upon the national account assigned to the mobile station; and

a data-providing device that provides the generated list to the mobile station designated with the national account.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the database further comprises a plurality of predetermined home market areas, the generated list of preferred wireless carrier identities being based upon the national account and a selected one of the plurality of home market areas.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the data providing device provides the generated list to the mobile station designated with the national account and the selected home market area.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the list includes an alternative carrier for use in the event the preferred wireless carrier is not available to the mobile station.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the data providing device provides the list of preferred wireless carrier identities to the mobile station via wireless communication.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the list of preferred wireless carriers is generated by said generator based upon a roaming airtime rate of each of the plurality of wireless carriers and air-interface technology provided for each of the plurality of market areas.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said generator updates the list of preferred wireless carriers when one of the plurality of wireless carriers changes a communication characteristic for one of the plurality of market areas.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein said data providing device provides the updated list of preferred wireless carrier identities only to each mobile station previously provided with the list of preferred wireless carrier identities.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the communication characteristic comprises roaming airtime rates the wireless carrier charges for the one of the plurality of market areas.

10. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the communication characteristic comprises the type of services the wireless carrier provides for the one of the plurality of market areas.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the list of preferred wireless carrier identities comprises a plurality of entries indicating a system identification number and a corresponding frequency band for each preferred wireless carrier.

12. An system for selecting preferred wireless carriers from a plurality of wireless carriers for use by mobile stations when roaming outside of a home market area of the mobile station, the system comprising:

a database of preferred wireless carriers for a plurality of market areas based upon predetermined national accounts;

a generator that generates a list of the preferred wireless carrier identities from the database based upon a national account assigned to each mobile station;

a data-providing device that provides the generated list to each mobile station designated with the national account;

a memory, provided within each mobile station, which stores the generated list of preferred wireless carriers; and

a selector that selects a preferred wireless carrier from the list stored in the memory when each mobile station enters one of the market areas of the plurality of market areas,

wherein each mobile station switches to the preferred wireless carrier, selected from the list of preferred wireless carrier identities, for communication in response to the mobile station roaming to a market area outside of the mobile station'"'"'s home market area.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the database further comprises a plurality of home market areas, the generated list of preferred wireless carriers being based upon the assigned national account and a selected one of the plurality of home market areas.